Shadow Jumpers
by bugqueenagitha
Summary: Mabel and Dipper aren't human. They're shadow beings that live in the forests of Gravity Falls. The two have always lived alone, but they will soon meet people and go on adventures and uncover secrets about themselves they never would have imagined. Looks like these kids are in for the adventure of their lives. NO PINECEST
1. Chapter 1

The forests of Gravity Falls were nothing short of a mystery. There were always reports of seeing strange beasts and creatures from inside the woods. The people of Gravity Falls knew to be cautious, even if they didn't always know why, and they rarely went deep into the forest. If they did they would find something quite odd. They would find two children, twins actually, that made their home in those woods. However these twins were not normal kids. In fact they were not human at all. Those two little children that lived deep in the forest were actually made of shadows, and the two would feed on mischief and loved to cause trouble.

Their names were Dipper and Mabel. No one ever gave them those names, as far as they could remember, but they knew that was what they were meant to be called. They didn't even know where they came from or how they came to be, but here they are now lurking in the forest.

Out of the two of them Mabel was the more outgoing one. She wasn't afraid to step out in the light, where she could be seen, to have her fun. She would constantly venture out to the edge of the forest where the humans would be and cause trouble for them. Her brother Dipper was just as quick to have fun, but he was much more cautious than his sister. He had his fun when he knew there was absolutely no way for him to get caught. Neither of them really knew anything about humans, but they were different so they had to be dangerous right? Mabel didn't really think so. She actually thought they were kind of cute, but Dipper thought they were so he made sure his sister never got too close to them, but Dipper couldn't keep her out of trouble forever. In fact it wouldn't be long until both of them were closer to humans than either of them ever planned.

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><p>Mabel was chasing her brother through the forest again. The two did this sort of thing to have fun. One of them ran through the trees, jumping in and out of shadows along the way, and the other tried to catch them. It was like a big game of tag. The two laughed as they made their way through the forest they called home. Suddenly Dipper noticed that Mabel wasn't chasing him anymore. He looked around and then sighed when he saw his sister at the edge of the woods. She must have gotten distracted by the humans again, and, to his dismay, her black, shadow form was only half hidden behind a tree.<p>

Dipper quickly and silently sneaked up behind his sister and grabbed her. Mabel squealed as Dipper dragged her away from the open light.

"Hey! Dipper what are you doing?" Mabel asked as Dipper lead her away. He turned to her looking irritated.

"Mabel I thought we agreed we wouldn't go near them!" Dipper said angrily. Mabel pouted at her brother in response.

"But Dipper they're so cute! They're pink and fleshy- it's adorable!" Mabel continued to talk about how 'cute' she thought the humans were, and Dipper sighed.

"Yeah, and we're dark and shadowy- not adorable. They might not react well to what we are!" Dipper argued.

Mabel scoffed at her twin in response. "Speak for yourself. Of course we're adorable! I mean just look at me!" she said as she made the cutest face she could. Dipper still didn't look convinced and continued to stare Mabel down. "Okay Dipper, I won't go near them." she grumbled.

"Good, thank you-"

"But you have to listen to me make annoying noises for the rest of our natural lives! Whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp..." Dipper covered his ears at the sound his sister was making. She wasn't kidding when she said _annoying_.

"You know what? Fine! Go on and get yourself into trouble! See if I care!" Of course he cared a lot, but maybe if he pretended that he didn't she would feel bad and not get herself into trouble, but of course that plan didn't work because Dipper is an idiot.

"Okay see ya Dipper!" Mabel called out as she ran out of the forest laughing. Dipper slapped his forehead and grunted. There wouldn't really be any sort of point in chasing after her since she was a lot faster than him when she wanted to be. He just hoped she'd be alright on her own. She could handle herself right? As long as she didn't get caught, Mabel would be fine.

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><p>Mabel swiftly ran along the beat up, dirt road. This was going to be the best day ever! She knew that Dipper wasn't being serious, but she was going to take what she could get, and she didn't give him any time to tell her not to go off on her own! In a short time Mabel made it to the end of the road and she found herself standing in front of a building. It looked old and worn down by time and weather. It had the words "Mystery Shack" made of wood nailed up on the roof. However the 's' had half fallen off, but Mabel thought that old building had a very cool and interesting look to it.<p>

Mabel quickly jumped into the shadow cast by the building as some people walked out the door. Her body joined with the shadow, and she was now unable to be seen. Sure Mabel thought better of humans than Dipper, but she was still a little cautious. All day she had fun by watching the humans and causing them a little trouble by knocking things over and tying peoples shoe laces together.

Once the people were gone out of site Mabel slipped through the door to the Mystery Shack. Still hidden within the shadows she gazed silently at the people in the building. They were all standing around looking at things like t-shirts and bobble heads. Mabel jumped into the shadow next to the counter where a bored looking red headed girl sat reading a magazine. Mabel never got to see people so up close before, and it looked like this one wasn't going anywhere any time soon!

Mabel sat in the shadow for what seemed like hours but was really only twenty minutes. Eventually, everyone but the red head left the store and an old man wearing a suit and fez walked into the little shop.

"Finally, it's closing time! Meaning it's also time to count those suckers money!" he said with a triumphant smile. Mabel giggled at the old man. She thought he was cute in a weird, old person sort of way.

"Hey did you hear that?" asked the red head counter girl.

'Oops,' Mabel thought to herself. 'I must have been loud...'

"What are you talking about Corduroy?" the old man asked. "I didn't hear anything."

"Hmm... it must have been my imagination then." 'Corduroy', what an odd name, said. She still seemed suspicious, and it was making Mabel nervous. What if she was found out?

The old man just shrugged and left the building. He was muttering something about going out to some place Mabel had never heard of. Then, when Mabel thought no one was looking, she slipped out of the shadow she had been hiding in and made her way for the door. However she froze in place when she heard a faint gasp behind her.

"I knew I heard something!" the cashier girl exclaimed from behind her.

Mabel turned around nervously. She knew she should have run away, but she felt like her feet were glued to the floor. Maybe Dippers paranoia was rubbing off on her more than she thought... Mabel began to fidget and was obviously distressed.

"Hey calm down I'm not gonna hurt you or anything." the girl said when she noticed Mabel's nervousness. "You know whatever it is that you are,"

Mabel straightened her back out and looked the teenager in the eyes. She was trying to look tough, but it was obvious she was still on edge.

"Okay... it looks like you're already kinda freaking out on the outside so I'll just freak out on the inside." she said awkwardly. "So like, do you have a name or something?"

"Mabel,"

"Well uh, it's nice to meet you Mabel." she said while holding out her hand. "I'm Wendy,"

Mabel turned towards Wendy and shook the other girls hand shyly. Wendy retracted her hand looked at it in awe. "Whoa that was weird. It was like I was touching something but at the same time I wasn't."

Mabel smiled at Wendy. "Yeah that's how we feel all the time! You get used to it though."

"We?" Wendy said confused.

"Oh! Yeah I have a brother! His name is Dipper. He's probably looking for me by now thinking I've gone and gotten myself killed or something like that." Mabel said while waving her arms around.

Wendy laughed lightly at Mabel's silly actions. She was still a little shaken by the whole situation, as she had never come into contact with a person that looked like a silhouette before, but she was becoming more comfortable. "You're alright kid." Wendy said with a smile. Mabel's smile grew even more. It looked like she had a new friend!

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><p>Dipper had been pacing for a while now. He walked around the same tree over and over while biting his nails. Mabel had been gone for hours now, and he had no idea where she was! He was an idiot telling her to leave! Of course she was going to take it seriously! He'd have to go after her. After all, chasing your sister down after you told her to do something dangerous is something all brothers did right?<p>

Dipper groaned and ran towards the edge of the forest. He scanned the area as he half hid behind a tree and saw a road.

"Okay she probably followed this path... I just need to do the same!" he said to himself. As he walked along the edge of the woods he just hoped he was going the right way.

Eventually the road ended and Dipper was standing in front the Mystery Shack. 'If I'm lucky then Mabel should be around here somewhere..." Dipper thought. 'If I'm not lucky then I went in the wrong direction, and she's no where near here.'

He looked around the Mystery Shack and checked all the shadows that she may have been hiding in. He wanted to call out her name, but he was too afraid that humans may be near by, and he wasn't going to risk getting himself caught. Suddenly he noticed voices coming from inside the old building. Dipper tip toed his way to the front door. he slipped into a nearby shadow and made his way through the doors small opening. Once he was inside he saw his sister covered in sparkles with a human girl.

"Mabel!" Dipper yelled as he jumped out of the shadow he was in. He rushed over to his sister and got in front of her defensively.

"Don't worry Dipper! She's cool!" Mabel said to her brother with a laugh. She stepped out from behind Dipper and went back towards Wendy. "This is my new friend Wendy! She introduced me to glitter, and I owe her my life for that." Wendy smiled down at him and held out her hand. Dipper was hesitant, still not being completely trusting of this random human, but he took her hand cautiously.

Mabel told Dipper about everything she saw while hanging out in the Mystery Shack. Little by little Dipper's uneasiness edged away, so he was at least a little less stressed. If Dipper could blush Mabel had a feeling he would because as they talked it seemed like he was really taking a shine to Wendy. The three of them chatted a little longer, well Mabel did most the talking since Wendy and Dipper were still kind of tense in the situation, before Wendy told them that she really had to close up shop and get home.

"Feel free to come back tomorrow guys!" Wendy said to the twins just before they left the shack. "I can introduce you to Soos! He left early today, so you didn't see him, but he'll be here tomorrow." They nodded their heads and waved goodbye to their new friend. The two slipped into a nearby shadow, and happily made their way back home into the forest.

Wendy locked the door to the Mystery Shack and pocketed the key. Stan wasn't back yet, but that was probably a good thing. Wendy didn't know how to explain the twins to her boss. You know, whatever they were...

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><p><strong>K well, I feel like it's still awkward in places and it kind of bothers me, but I've done as much as I can without anyone else reviewing it. Since I don't think I was all too clear about the twins they look like silhouettes with whited out eyes- it's a common design style but I felt that it served the purpose for Dipper and Mabel being shadow people. Right now they can jump into shadows and basically become one with it to hide. They're going to have more powers, but they won't be discovered until later. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Stanford Pines is a complex man. To most people he seems like your every day con artist. He takes people on tours displaying 'mysterious' and 'supernatural' creatures and items, and then he sells them cheap, overpriced products and pockets their money. Yes, Stan Pines is a con man, but he is also so much more than that. Even though the exhibits he displays to his customers are fake, Stan is completely aware of the true supernatural happenings that go on in Gravity Falls.

Stan got back to the shack late that night. His search for the other journals had been fruitless. There was still no sign of them, but Stan couldn't give up. He had work that needed to be done. He opened the door to the Mystery Shack and scowled as he noticed that part of the floor was covered in glitter. He would have to clean it up in the morning before he opened up shop. It was incredibly late, so when Stan had come home through the back door he simply locked the door and went up to his bedroom.

Stan sighed as he settled into bed. Getting out of it tomorrow in the morning would be difficult due to his exhaustion. He glanced over at his end table and reached over to grab the picture that sat there face down. Normally looking at the picture was painful, but sometimes Stan liked to look at it. The photo was of two babies, twins, sleeping in a crib. The two had been Stan's niece and nephew, but tragically they died before they reached the age of two. He had only ever seen them in person once, but Stan was absolutely heart broken to learn that the two infants had lost their lives to a disease that he had never even heard of.

Stan sighed once more and set the picture face down on his night stand. There was no use thinking about the past right now. He was too tired. It was best for him to just sleep.

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><p>It was early in the morning when Dipper was woken up by his sister. He yelped at the sight of Mabel hovering over him with a wide grin spread across her face. She only laughed as he jumped away from her and into a shadow cast by a nearby boulder. Dipper sighed in annoyance at Mabel's actions. He smoothly exited the shadow and glared at Mabel. She laughed nervously back at him.<p>

"Sorry bro! I was just so excited I had to wake you up!" she said while holding her hands up in defense.

"Mabel the sun is barely up, and I was in the middle of a good dream!" he said. Technically neither of them needed sleep. It isn't something they need to do to survive, but it felt nice, and the dreams they had were often pleasant. Mabel apologized to her brother once again.

"Come on Dipper! I'm just so excited! Wendy said she was going to introduce us to one of her friends today, and I can't wait." she said while jumping up and down. Dipper sighed and laughed at his sisters excitement. He couldn't deny that meeting new people was kind of exciting, no matter how nervous he still felt about humans, but he was still trying to sleep here!

Dipper got up and stretched his limbs. "Alright Mabel as much as I want to continue sleeping I can tell you're not going to let that happen, so let's go." Mabel gave Dipper a thumbs up, and the two were on their way.

It didn't take long for the duo to arrive at the Mystery Shack. They saw the old man, AKA Stan, leading one of his tour groups into the museum. He looked kinda sluggish to them, but the the two ignored him as they passed by in the safety of a shadow.

Dipper and Mabel quickly made their way through the door of the Mystery Shack that lead into the gift shop. They moved through the dark shadows behind the counter where Wendy sat looking bored as ever. She was completely unaware that the two were right behind her. The twins grinned and grabbed Wendy's shoulders from behind making the redhead scream in panic. Wendy fell onto the floor from her stool, and the two shadows laughed at her. Wendy glared at them.

"Sorry Wendy," Dipper said as he laughed.

"Yeah, but that was priceless!" said Mabel. Wendy smirked.

"That's alright, but I'm going to get you back. You won't know when, and you won't know how, but it's gonna happen."

The twins gulped in response. Wendy didn't seem like she was kidding, and who knows what she could be planning! Wendy laughed at them. "Just kidding!" she said. Mabel and Dipper sighed in relief. "Or am I?"

* * *

><p>The hours passed by quickly for Dipper and Mabel. They had fun by messing with the customers. Mabel even went as far as photo bombing one poor old couple. She showed up in the back of their picture making a scary face, and it went without saying that the two women exited the Mystery Shack screaming in terror.<p>

Soon the Mystery Shack closed for the day. There were no more tours scheduled, and all the customers left the gift shop. Stan asked Wendy and Soos to lock up for him. He told them that he was exhausted and really needed a nap. Wendy agreed as it made the perfect moment to show the twins to Soos.

"Hey Soos! Before you head home I have to show you something." Wendy said as she locked the door.

"Sure dude," Soos said.

"Okay guys you can come out now." Then, Dipper and Mabel came out from the shadow they had been hiding in. Soos jumped back in alarm, but Wendy put a hand on his shoulder and said "It's okay Soos. They're friendly."

"What are they?" Soos asked. His voice sounded quite nervous.

"You know I'm not sure. What are you guys exactly?"

Dipper was about to answer when Mabel cut him off. "We're Shadow Jumpers!" Mabel said enthusiastically.

"Shadow Jumpers?" Soos said.

"Yeah," Dipper responded. "We 'jump' or move through shadows. It's easy for us because we're kind of made out of shadows."

"Dudes, this is like, blowing my mind right now."

The four chatted amicably for a few minutes before departing. The twins liked Soos, and he quickly took a shine to them as well. Little did they know a certain someone was watching. He was _always _watching them.

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><p>Stan tossed and turned in his sleep. He was having an odd, terrifying nightmare. He woke up in a cold sweat and breathed heavily. In a few seconds he had already forgotten most of the bad dream. All he remembered was seeing a large, dark creature with huge jaws. 'What was that about?' he asked himself silently. Once again he felt compelled to pick up the photo of his niece and nephew. He held the picture in his hand and frowned. Why was he thinking about those twins so much lately? Stan supposed it didn't really matter too much. He just needed to get back to sleep.<p>

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><p><strong>I know that this chapter is much shorter than the last, and I'm sorry! I promise that all updates will be a bare minimum of 1,000 words. I know that's not a lot but hey, it's something. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Mabel laughed as she ran through the moonlit forest. She always liked to sneak away whenever Dipper fell asleep. Sleeping was kind of a waste in time in her own opinion. Of course she liked to nap now and again, but running around and having fun was a much better alternative to sleep she didn't even need! Mabel glanced up at the dark sky and admired the way the moon stars shined so brightly. Sometimes she wondered what it was like to shine like a star, but then she remembered that was silly because she was a shadow and not a star.

Mabel broke away from her thoughts as she saw a deer pass by. She smiled brightly at the creature and walked over to follow it. The deer didn't mind her presence. Mabel had always had a special way with animals. Even the most timid of animals seemed to like her. Mabel walked alongside the doe slowly through the trees. The walk was peaceful, and it was hard to believe she had been so hyper not too long ago.

The young girl stopped following her deer friend and looked at the trees around her. She traced her dark hand across the bark and giggled when she noticed an odd triangle shape with an eye inside of it carved into the wood. She wondered for a minute who would have carved such a weird design into a tree, but her attention was soon drawn away from the carving. The sun would be up in an hour or so, and she would have to get back to wake up Dipper. She wanted to explore the rest of the Mystery Shack today!

Mabel began to walk back to where her brother was sleeping. It was a grassy clearing deep in the forest marked by a large boulder dressed in a strange, light blue moss that glowed faintly in the dark. For some strange reason, there were never any other creatures, supernatural or otherwise, that went near their home. The two didn't mind though. They had been there all their lives, and they wouldn't want to lose their home to some bigger and badder monster.

It wasn't long until Mabel reached the clearing where her brother was still asleep. She tip toed over to her brother's sleeping form. He was curled up near the boulder and snoring softly. Mabel almost felt bad for waking her brother up so early again, almost.

"Dipper! It's time to wake up!" she said loudly. Dipper groaned but didn't get up. Mabel sighed in frustration. Why couldn't her brother just get up already? He should be just excited as her to go and explore! Mabel tried shaking her brother awake, but that didn't work either.

"Mabel..." Dipper said slowly. "The sun isn't even up this time. Please let me sleep."

Mabel huffed. It wasn't _that _early. Well, maybe it was a _little _early. "Well then do you mind if I go over early? I really want to explore the shack!"

Dipper shifted on the soft ground and said "Yeah yeah I'll catch up with you later. Have fun Mabel."

Mabel smiled softly at her tired brother and took off for the Mystery Shack. She went along the same dirt path she usually did to get there. She lifted her arms out beside her and made 'airplane engine noises' with her mouth as she ran. When she arrived at the Mystery Shack she noticed that all the lights were off.

'It must not be open yet.' she thought to herself. She _did _get there very early. Like her brother said, the sun wasn't even up yet! Oh well, that wasn't going to stop Mabel. She slipped inside the shack quickly and silently through a shadow. She looked around the museum area and its exhibits. They all looked fake and cheap, because they were, but Mabel loved it. There was something about the shack that enchanted Mabel. She just felt so at home there. It was odd, and she had no idea why she felt that way, but she did.

Mabel went on to explore the rest of the first floor. The family room looked well lived in with an old looking television and an odd looking skull next to the reclining chair, and the kitchen was a bit dirty, so she didn't spend much time in there. She stealthily climbed the stairs to the second floor and explored the rooms.

Eventually Mabel made it into what looked like a bedroom. There were random bits of dirty clothing thrown across the floor. Mabel only smiled and said "How charming,"

She looked over at the end table and noticed a photograph sitting face down. Curious, she went over and picked it up. It was of two sleeping babies that looked oddly familiar.

Suddenly, Mabel heard a sound coming from behind her. She turned around and met the barrel of a shotgun. Mabel screamed and dropped the picture, the glass of the frame shattered when it hit the floor. The old man wielding the shotgun, Stan of course, looked extremely angry.

"I don't know what kind of monster you are or what you're doing here, but I do know you're not getting out alive if you don't explain yourself in three seconds!" he yelled at her. Mabel shook in fear and barely managed to stutter out a response.

"I-I'm sorry! I was just curious about the shack! Please don't shoot me in the face! I'm only twelve, and I'm way to cute to shoot!" she said while holding her arms up in defense. Stan lowered his gun slowly. He looked surprised.

"Holy crap you're a kid. A weird kid, but you're still a kid." Stan said in amazement. Mabel lowered her arms shakily.

"Um, I-I'm sorry about your picture... I didn't mean to drop it!"

Stan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He went over to her and leaned down to pick up the photo from the broken glass. "It's uh, it's alright. You didn't mean too." he said. He was scowling and his sour expression made Mabel nervous. "What are you even doing here kid? Do monsters like you always break into the homes of poor old men?"

Mabel laughed nervously. "Haha no... I just wanted to explore the rest of the shack." Stan gave her a strange look.

"Rest of the shack? What parts of the shack have you already seen?" Stan asked.

"Oh just the gift shop... You know, despite pointing a gun at me, you don't seem as bad as Wendy says!"

Stan narrowed his eyes in response. "What does Wendy say about me?"

"Nothing!"

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><p>It was about an hour before Dipper woke up. He smiled as he stretched his limbs feeling refreshed. It was nice to get some sleep without his sister bothering him. He loved Mabel very much, but sometimes he needed some time alone to recharge.<p>

He got up and began the walk to the Mystery Shack. He hoped that he didn't hurt Mabel's feelings when he didn't get up to go to the shack with her, but she was probably okay, so Dipper didn't dwell on the thought.

It wasn't long before Dipper arrived at the shack, and he saw that Wendy had just gotten there and was opening up the shop.

"Hey Wendy!" he said while walking up to her. "Have you seen Mabel?"

"Huh? No I haven't. Why would she be here already? We haven't even opened yet. I don't think Stan's even come down yet." she said.

"But Mabel got here at least an hour ago! She said something about wanting to explore the rest of the Mystery Shack today..."

"Uh oh, I really hope she didn't go into Stan's room." Wendy and Dipper shared a nervous look.

"You should open the door now." Dipper said.

"Yeah,"

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><p><strong>Well that's it for now. I want to sincerely thank all the people that have reviewed so far and put this story on their favoritesalert list. English, especially writing and story telling, has always been tough for me, so it's nice to know that I'm not totally failing at it! I didn't do too much editing for this chapter because I kinda finished writing at one forty in the morning and I don't feel like looking it over again. Oops**

**Also my birthday is on Tuesday. I'm turning sixteen! I will try and publish something then. **


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